Workflow automation
Open-source alternatives to Make, priced
2 open-source tools that can replace Make, each shown with what it would actually cost to run for a team of 10 people. Make on the Core tier costs $10.00 a month at that size.
The cheapest way to replace Make here is n8n, at $121 a month against $10.00, with your own time already counted.
| Tool | Server only | With your time | vs Make | Operational weight | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | $8.04 | $121 | -$4,429 | medium | source-available |
| Activepieces | $8.04 | $121 | -$4,429 | medium | source-available |
The final column is the 36-month difference: positive means self-hosting is cheaper.
Which one to pick
n8n 204,061 stars
The base figure covers a single main process with SQLite. Heavy workflow volume wants PostgreSQL and queue mode with separate workers, which roughly doubles the floor.
At 10 people it needs 1.5 GB of memory and 11 GB of disk, which fits the CX23 (cost-optimized) at Hetzner Cloud for $6.70 a month. Setting it up is roughly 6 hours of work, then 1.5 hours a month to keep it healthy. Licence note: Source-available under the Sustainable Use Licence, not a classic open-source licence. Internal business use is permitted; reselling n8n as a service is not.
Full Make versus n8n breakdown · n8n at every team size
Activepieces 24,409 stars
Application, PostgreSQL and Redis. Isolated sandboxes for code steps are what push the memory floor above n8n's.
At 10 people it needs 2.7 GB of memory and 11 GB of disk, which fits the CX23 (cost-optimized) at Hetzner Cloud for $6.70 a month. Setting it up is roughly 6 hours of work, then 1.5 hours a month to keep it healthy.
Full Make versus Activepieces breakdown · Activepieces at every team size
How the pricing was established
Make pricing was read from its own pricing page on 2026-09-14. Server prices come from the providers listed on the hosting page. The sizing model and the cost of your time are set out in full on the methodology page.
Related
- All workflow automation compared
- Alternatives to Zapier
- Where to host it
What you would be running
| Tool | Licence | Written in | Setup | Upkeep | GitHub stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | Other | TypeScript | 6 h | 1.5 h a month | 204,061 |
| Activepieces | Other | TypeScript | 6 h | 1.5 h a month | 24,409 |
Questions people actually ask
Is there a free open-source alternative to Make?
There are 2 on this page. 0 of them are open source, published under no standard open-source licence, with no licence to buy. n8n, Activepieces ships its source under its own licence rather than a standard open-source one, so check its terms before commercial use. None of them is free to run: the cheapest, n8n, costs $121 a month at 10 people once the server, backups and the time to look after it are counted.
How much does Make cost?
Make Core costs $10.00 a month at 10 people: USD 10.00 per month. That figure was read from the vendor's own pricing page on 2026-09-14.
What does it cost to self-host n8n?
$121 a month at 10 people. That is $6.70 for the CX23 (cost-optimized) at Hetzner Cloud, plus backups, plus 1.5 hours a month of your own time priced at the published hourly rate.
How long before n8n is cheaper than Make?
Never, counting $450 of first-time setup. Over 36 months the difference is $4,429.
Which Make alternative is the easiest to run?
N8n, rated medium: about 6 hours to set up and 1.5 hours afterwards.